300 General Operations Flashcards
The Midwest City Fire Department shall implement the Incident Command System appropriately at all incidents for which it has management responsibility
300
Transfer of command from the first commander shall be carried out according to the accepted principles of the ICS, whereby continuity of command responsibility is formally turned over in person on the scene.
300
When a command officer arrives with the first arriving units, this command officer shall assume command and establish a fixed command post.
300
Command from a fixed position is preferred, particularly when an incident is complex or rapidly escalating.
300
If the initial company officer is “task-saturated” then he/she shall communicate the need for the transfer of command. The next arriving officer will assume command of the incident as IC1.
300
Examples:
Known Rescue
Mass Casualty Incident
Operational procedures shall be established whereby the high concentration of emergency vehicles on the scene of an incident will be alleviated in an orderly manner through the use of a staging process.
300
The ICS shall be used to maintain an effective span-of-control and workload for all supervisory personnel.
300
The goal of IC 1 is to initially prioritize and assign first arriving companies to tactics which quickly address the incident objectives of life safety, incident stabilization and property conservation in that order. For this reason IC 1 is considered a tactical commander.
300
Upon arrival of the Shift Commander the goal of IC 2 is to evaluate if the initial tactics and performance of tasks align with the current strategy to address the incident objectives of life safety, incident stabilization and property conservation in that order. For this reason IC 2 is considered a strategic commander.
300
IC 2 shall continuously evaluate the incident to insure strategic and tactical alignment in operations and anticipate changes and needs.
300
It should be the goal of any IC to achieve a tactical reserve using the on deck position.
300
NFPA 1710 recommends at least two members dedicated to incident management for all incidents beyond and initial alarm assignment and all responses to the following occupancies; Apartment Fires, Commercial Fires and High Rise buildings.
300
Establishment of Divisions and Groups at the tactical level support over all incident safety by increasing local accountability, supervision and improving company to company communication while reducing the span of control and potential task saturation of the IC.
300
Divisions and Groups will be created and dissolved at the discretion of the IC based on critical incident factors or potential.
300
When a division is created the IC shall provide the Division/Group Supervisor with Boundaries, Resources and Objectives.
300
The only Division that will be assumed and not formally established is Roof due to the clarity of the location.
300
As incidents grow beyond initial resource dispatch or a geographic area accessed by a single location and multiple divisions or groups have been established establishing an Operations Section should be considered.
300
Start a Search Size-Up upon dispatch of the alarm, which includes time of day and alarm response.
300
Negative reports of victims (“everyone is out”) will not be repeated face to face or over the air.
300
Search will be a priority assignment on the fireground. Search tactics, in combination with fire attack and ventilation, support the primary incident objective of life safety.
300
In cases where the fire problem has not been located, the incident commander may assign the search team to a second tactical objective of locating the fire, in which case they will update command with a C.A.N. report
300
Conditions and experience will dictate the crew’s entry point and search technique.
300
Search teams must ventilate for life but be mindful to not change the ventilation profile of the structure.
300
Once in the room of origin, or fire area, the Fire Attack Team will focus on complete extinguishment while the heel position obtains a primary search of that area.
300
The incident commander is the only person on the fireground that will determine the structure all clear and have it benchmarked with dispatch.
300
If multiple crews are assigned to a search, a search group will be established with a search group supervisor.
300
When moving from defensive to offensive mode, search will be prioritized.
300
Positive pressure ventilation is a contraindication of a Window Entry Search.
300
While Rescue is the highest strategic priority, fire attack may be the highest tactical priority if even just for 1 member to flow a handline to protect a rescue operation, path of egress for occupants or to slow a rapidly escalating fire event.
300
Controlling the fire reduces both thermal and toxic threats to occupants and facilitates a more effective primary search.
300
Application of water from the exterior to visible fire cools compartment linings which interferes with pyrolysis preventing further contribution of fuel and toxic gasses.
300
Optimal technique for external exposures is direct application to surfaces allowing the water to map out across the plane providing a layer of water to absorb radiant heat instead of the material.
300
Optimal technique for interior exposures is through a horizontal ventilation opening (door or window) to the fire compartment.
300
Optimal operation is a stationary, straight or solid stream at a steep angle deflecting off the ceiling with care taken not to disrupt the flow path.
300
The primary tactical objective of interior advancement is to cool and control smoke temperature and radiant heat to increase the safety of unprotected occupants and operating firefighters until effective water is applied to the source of the fire.
300
Interior water application to surfaces allows them to absorb more thermal energy from the hot smoke layer and prevents off gassing and contribution of more fuel and toxic threats to the atmosphere.
300
